Feb. 17, 2015

Feb. 14, 2015

Timothy Egan Op-Ed column applauds mark left on popular culture and politics by John Stewart, who is stepping down as host of Daily Show; contends Stewart's continual lampooning of political figures has ingrained healthy skepticism in American viewers while his informed version of comedy left fans better educated. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column notes that Hannibal Buress, whose controversial rape joke about Bill Cosby thrust him into national spotlight, has developed more mature style. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer of NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, shares some of his memories from program's 40-year run; Taschen Books has released Saturday Night Live: The Book in honor of anniversary. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

In just a few days Ben Brantley sampled a rainbow spectrum of comedies, “My Night With Reg,” “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “The Ruling Class” and “Golem.” MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column praises stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, saying that he excels when it comes to the physical representation of his jokes; examine history of comedic skill known as the 'act-out'. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Alessandra Stanley The TV Watch column observes that Larry Wilmore, host of debut late-night show on Comedy Central, offers different brand of humor than white, male hosts that dominate network; holds that Wilmore, who is black, is able to approach topics that other hosts cannot and treats them in his own uniquely witty way. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column notes Saturday Night Live seems to be in transitional phase as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Friday File column; excerpts from New York Times reviews in 1962 highlight early stand-up comedy of Woody Allen. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column uses Louis CK performance at Madison Garden to assess evolution of CK's comedy; argues that despite high quality of show, its lack of ambition suggests that it may be end of decade-long era of the comedian's creativity. MORE

Jan. 1, 2015

Kit Eaton App Smart column examines series of humorous mobile applications, from those that utilize sight gags to witty comic strips. MORE

Dec. 24, 2014

German stand-up comedian Henning Wehn has made living in his new home in London by mocking Brittish stereotypes of Germans; Wehn's success suggests such cliches no longer have emotional weight of past and can be laughed about. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim gives examples of classical music performances that made her laugh in 2014. MORE

Dec. 10, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column profiles Big Jay Oakerson, whose standup routine blends therapist's knack for putting people at ease with comedian's gift for making them uncomfortable; Oakerson is known for his ability to sum up sex lives of random people in audience with imagined and evocative detail. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Stephen Merchant, comedian known for his cerebral and understated appeal, is trying to figure out his next career move as he completes final season of HBO sitcom Hello Ladies. MORE

Nov. 10, 2014

Comedian Tig Notaro cancels shows in Boston and Denver due to unspecified medical emergency. MORE

Nov. 8, 2014

Jason Zinoman praises Tig Notaro's performance at New York Comedy Festival in which she revealed scars from her double mastectomy and skillfully manipulated her audience. MORE

Nov. 3, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column lists highlights of New York Comedy Festival, during which more than 200 comics will play over 60 shows throughout city. MORE

Oct. 21, 2014

Brad Zimmerman, who waited tables in New York City for three decades while trying to make it as a stand-up comic and actor, has turned his table-waiting experiences into professional comedy bits; Zimmerman has finally managed to leave restaurant profession behind by writing one-man show My Son the Waiter, a Jewish Tragedy. MORE

Oct. 11, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column praises two performances by comedian Aziz Ansari at Madison Square Garden, noting that he has shifted from his usual jittery energy to a calmer and humbler tone. MORE

Oct. 5, 2014

Aziz Ansari prepares to join exclusive ranks of stand-up comedians who have headlined at Madison Square Garden. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column praises Jerrod Charmichael: Love at the Store and Priceless: Afterlife featuring Katt Williams, two new HBO stand-up specials directed by Spike Lee; argues that under Lee's direction, stand-up specials take on the feel of narrative dramas. MORE

Sep. 29, 2014

Longtime comedy collaborators Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell will be reunited for event A Conversation With Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell at Montclair Film Festival fund-raiser in New Jersey; talk is scheduled to take place in November. MORE

Sep. 27, 2014

Michael Wilson Crime Scene column; Angel Gutierrez, a process server in the Bronx, finds humor in his work and has been adding it to his stand-up-comedy routine for the past 20 years. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Josh Ostrovsky, who operates under comedic alter ego and Instagram persona of The Fat Jew, is hoping to parlay his profane and mocking sense of humor and online following into mainstream media success. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Joan Rivers, whose five decades of caustic comedy propelled her from nightclubs to television to international stardom, dies at age 81; Rivers was one of America's first successful female stand-up comics, rising in genre that had been almost exclusively the province of men; evolved from a self-deprecating performer into a coarser assassin who slashed at celebrities and others with a rapier wit that some critics called comic genius. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Alessandra Stanley An Appraisal column observes that Joan Rivers appeared as if she could not stop herself from telling jokes, driven by a desperation that was all her own and yet epitomized old-school showbiz. MORE

Aug. 25, 2014

Dave Chappelle makes surprise appearance at Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, returning to Hartford, Conn, one year after notoriously disastrous comedy set where he was booed and heckled; crowd embraced comedian, while Chappelle was apologetic and thankful. MORE

Aug. 13, 2014

Alessandra Stanley An Appraisal column holds that television, in allowing measure of looseness and spontaneity, was true home of comedian Robin Williams, who got his start there; maintains that Williams' manic form of comedy both lent itself to and transformed television medium. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Robin Williams, comedian who evolved into surprisingly nuanced, Academy Award-winning actor, imbuing his performances with wild inventiveness and a kind of manic energy, dies at his home in Tiburon, Calif, at age 63; Marin County sheriff's office says death is suspected suicide due to asphyxia. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

A O Scott appraisal pays tribute to actor Robin Williams upon news of his death, hailing him as a comedic force of nature able to deliver humor at warp speed. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Others set to perform in November include Hannibal Buress, Marc Maron and Amy Schumer. MORE

Jul. 30, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column points to success of Weird Al album Mandatory Fun, first comedy album to top Billboard charts since 1960s, as indication of art form's boom in popularity; lists several of 2014's notable comedy album releases. MORE

Jul. 20, 2014

Profile of comedian Maria Bamford, who draws from her experience with obsessive-compulsive and bipolar disorders for her stand-up routines. MORE

Jul. 16, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column offers hope that HBO television show Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, hosted by ex-Daily Show correspondent Oliver, and Clickhole, online offshoot of The Onion, may breathe new life into fake news genre. MORE

Jul. 9, 2014

Advertising column; Purity, small brand of Swedish vodka, is planning series of humorous online video advertisements featuring comedian Joel McHale in effort to get brand noticed and shared on social media; company is joining lengthy list of advertisers that are turning to comedians to be stars of major campaigns. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

Jason Zinoman observes that popularity of prank comedy is rising; notes that two TV comedies beginning their second seasons on Comedy Central, Drunk History and Nathan for You, tap into time-honored entertainment of laughing at fools. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Jun. 20, 2014

Jason Zinoman observes that Dave Chappelle's comedy performance, first of 10-show engagement at Radio City Music Hall, was a more conventional, less introspective set than his fans have come to expect. MORE

Jun. 20, 2014

Live at the Apt stand-up comedy shows, originally staged by Drew Miller and Dan Hurwitz in Miller's East Village apartment, is now monthly underground series featuring up-and-coming comedians performing in apartments across New York City. MORE

Jun. 15, 2014

Canadian-born comedian Nathan Fielder, whose Comedy Central television show Nathan for You is debuting its second season, uses his background in commerce to play an exaggerated version of a business consultant. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef says he is ending his popular weekly television show, citing unspecified pressure and threats. MORE

Jun. 1, 2014

Peter Keepnews reviews selection of summer picks of humorous books and books about comedy and humor. MORE

May. 27, 2014

Jason Zinoman On Comedy column celebrates legacy of Bob Newhart, whose 1970s series The Bob Newhart Show is being released in a boxed set; argues that Newhart is critically underrated in comparison to other founding fathers of modern stand-up, perhaps due to his gentle, minimalist style. MORE

May. 7, 2014

Comedian Liza Dye delivers first set since being struck by subway train; performance, at Upright Citizen's Brigade, raises question of whether calamity can be transformed into comedy; accident has served to bring Dye more professional exposure. MORE

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